Amir Ali Esmaily

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Amir Ali Esmaily, who was recently convicted at Belfast Crown Court of illegally possessing a firearm, will be deported to Iran and refused United Kingdom citizenship if an application is made.

Baroness Neville-Jones: We are investigating this case, but do not comment on individual cases. However, the UK Border Agency seeks to deport from the United Kingdom foreign nationals offenders who meet the following criteria:
	a court recommendation;for non-European economic area nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence, or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (an offence other than possession only); andfor EEA nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences
	In regards to whether an application for UK Citizenship would be refused, UK Border Agency guidelines state that applications will normally be refused if the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offence and the conviction has not yet become "spent" in accordance with the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Armed Forces: Uniform

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what rules cover service personnel collecting for charity in public places while wearing uniform.

Lord Astor of Hever: The wearing of uniform in public demands the highest standards of dress, bearing and behaviour, and service personnel must be aware that they are effectively representing the service. A higher public profile for the service through the wearing of uniform in public should have a positive effect on defence in the public eye. It is therefore incumbent upon all those wearing uniform whether collecting for charity or undertaking other activities to be aware that it is their duty not to bring the service into disrepute as a result of their demeanour or actions, or otherwise to impact adversely on the efficiency or reputation of the Armed Forces.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they will take to reduce the 400-day average time spent in the United Kingdom following a failed asylum claim.

Baroness Neville-Jones: In March 2007, the UK Border Agency introduced the new asylum model, to manage asylum claims more effectively. A case owner manages each asylum case from application to conclusion. The 2009 National Audit Office report, the Management of Asylum Applications by the UK Border Agency, included a costing report which showed the following:
	detained fast track removals take an average of 79 days;enforced removals take an average of 250 days; andvoluntary removals take an average of 300 days.
	The Government and the UK Border Agency are committed to improving the asylum system and will review elements of the system to speed up the processing of applications.

Crime: Prosecutions

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many charging decisions on alleged criminal offences were made by (a) the Crown Prosecution Service, and (b) police forces in England and Wales, in 2008-09; and what were the main categories of offences for which police forces brought charges.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Information provided by the CPS shows 532,427 decisions were made in 2008-09 on whether to charge defendants or not.
	Of these, a decision to charge was made in respect of 307,414 defendants (57.7 per cent), a decision not to prosecute was made in respect of 140,895 defendants (26.5 per cent) and other decisions were made in respect of 84,118 defendants (15.8 per cent), which include simple or conditional cautions, reprimands, final warnings and those where the offence(s) have been taken into consideration in relation to other charges.
	Information on persons charged by the police in England and Wales is not reported to the Home Office. However, data on persons arrested and proceeded against at court are available.
	Data on arrests in 2008-09 broken down by offence group can be found in table 1b of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales 2008-09.
	Information on defendants proceeded against at courts in England and Wales in 2008 (data published on calendar year basis) is available in table 5.8 of the Ministry of Justice publication, Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 2008.
	Copies of both tables as well as data provided by the CPS covering 2008-09 are provided for the noble Lord's convenience.
	
		
			 Table 1b Persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) by type of offence, sex and age group, 2007-08 and 2008-09 
			 Numbers  England and Wales 
			 Persons   
			 Year and Notifiable offence group Under 101 Aged 10-17 Aged 18-20 Aged 21 and over Age unknown All ages 
			 2008-09   
			 Violence against the person 18 69,537 64,790 327,085 1,285 462,715 
			 Sexual offences 2 4,387 3,293 25,887 114 33,683 
			 Robbery 2 14,638 7,292 12,693 46 34,671 
			 Burglary 5 26,598 17,340 51,963 185 96,091 
			 Theft & handling stolen goods 22 70,244 44,757 210,854 749 326,626 
			 Fraud and forgery - 1,879 4,023 28,498 90 34,490 
			 Criminal damage 11 41,787 24,620 72,989 341 139,748 
			 Drug offences 3 15,710 18,871 80,304 228 115,116 
			 Other 20 28,261 33,700 152,437 789 215,207 
			 Total 83 273,041 218,686 962,710 3,827 1,458,347 
			 2007-08   
			 Violence against the person 33 81,407 67,458 327,291 1,554 477,743 
			 Sexual offences 4 4,426 3,160 24,322 104 32,016 
			 Robbery 4 16,969 7,246 12,016 27 36,262 
			 Burglary 12 29,360 16,363 48,727 133 94,595 
			 Theft & handling stolen goods 47 83,350 46,253 197,325 795 327,770 
			 Fraud and forgery 2 1,904 3,726 26,118 95 31,845 
			 Criminal damage 34 52,451 26,616 73,398 391 152,890 
			 Drug offences 5 15,018 17,772 71,569 168 104,532 
			 Other 22 30,516 35,029 150,884 1,162 217,613 
			 Total 163 315,401 223,623 31,650 4,429 1,475,266 
		
	
	1 Persons who, after further investigation, were found to be under the legal age limit for arrest of 10 years.
	
		
			 Table 5.8 Number of defendants proceeded against, number convicted and the conviction rate for defendants tried at magistrates' courts, by offence group, 2003-08(1)(2) 
			 England and Wales 
			 Offence group 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 
			 Total number proceeded against (thousands) 
			 Indictable offences   
			 Violence against the person 32.7 32.1 32.7 32.0 30.4 28.8 
			 Sexual offences 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.0 1.7 
			 Burglary 22.3 20.1 19.2 19.1 19.2 18.2 
			 Robbery 2.7 3.0 3.2 3.9 4.3 3.3 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 119.3 109.5 102.5 97.3 103.6 106.9 
			 Fraud and forgery 16.7 16.4 16.3 15.4 14.9 13.7 
			 Criminal damage 10.9 11.1 11.1 12.2 11.9 8.6 
			 Drug offences 44.6 32.0 32.1 32.8 36.5 43.2 
			 Other (ex. motoring offences) 49.1 50.4 48.2 44.5 38.9 32.1 
			 Motoring offences 7.5 6.6 5.3 4.8 4.0 3.0 
			 All indictable offences 308.0 283.3 272.7 264.0 265.7 259.5 
			 Summary offences   
			 Offences (ex. motoring offences) 502.4 538.2 520.5 507.1 502.0 501.7 
			 Motoring offences 673.7 726.8 679.0 631.8 619.5 560.1 
			 All summary offences 1,176.1 1,265.0 1,199.4 1,138.9 1,121.5 1,061.8 
			 All offences 1,484.1 1,548.3 1,472.1 1,402.9 1,387.2 1,321.3 
			 Total number found guilty (thousands) 
			 Indictable offences   
			 Violence against the person 24.6 25.5 27.1 27.9 27.1 26.3 
			 Sexual offences 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.5 
			 Burglary 19.1 17.9 17.4 17.7 18.0 17.2 
			 Robbery 1.8 2.1 2.3 3.0 3.5 2.9 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 113.2 104.9 98.5 93.9 100.5 104.8 
			 Fraud and forgery 15.5 15.4 15.5 14.7 14.3 13.2 
			 Criminal damage 9.8 10.1 10.3 11.3 11.2 8.2 
			 Drug offences 42.9 30.9 31.2 32.0 35.7 42.5 
			 Other (ex. motoring offences) 42.5 45.3 43.9 41.0 36.0 30.2 
			 Motoring offences 7.1 6.3 5.1 4.5 3.9 2.9 
			 All indictable offences 278.1 260.2 252.9 247.6 251.9 249.7 
			 Summary offences   
			 Offences (ex. motoring offences) 491.3 520.4 506.6 493.2 488.7 491.2 
			 Motoring offences 662.1 707.4 666.6 622.1 610.5 551.7 
			 All summary offences 1,153.4 1,227.9 1,173.3 1,115.3 1,099.2 1,042.9 
			 All offences 1,431.5 1,488.0 1,426.2 1,362.9 1,351.1 1,292.6 
			 conviction rate (%) 
			 Indictable offences   
			 Violence against the person 75 80 83 87 89 91 
			 Sexual offences 74 76 77 80 85 88 
			 Burglary 86 89 91 93 94 95 
			 Robbery 65 70 72 77 81 88 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 95 96 96 97 97 98 
			 Fraud and forgery 93 94 95 95 96 96 
			 Criminal damage 89 91 93 93 94 95 
			 Drug offences 96 97 97 98 98 98 
			 Other (ex. motoring offences) 87 90 91 92 93 94 
			 Motoring offences 95 95 96 94 98 97 
			 All indictable offences 90 92 93 94 95 96 
			 Summary offences   
			 Offences (ex. motoring offences) 98 98 97 97 97 98 
			 Motoring offences 98 98 98 98 99 99 
			 All summary offences 98 98 98 98 98 98 
			 All offences 96 97 97 97 97 98 
		
	
	(1) Excludes: cases that were discontinued, where the charge was withdrawn, where the defendant failed to appear, and committals for trial to the Crown Court.
	(2) Excludes prosecutions data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008. See Annex 2 paragraph 8
	
		
			 Number of pre-charge decisions made by the Crown Prosecution Service, 2008-09 
			  2008-09 
			 Decisions to Charge 307,414 57.70% 
			 No prosecution  140,895 26.50% 
			 All Other Decisions 84,118 15.80% 
			 Total Pre-Charge Decisions 532,427

Employment

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have of the number of under-employed people in the United Kingdom; and how they will reduce that number.

Lord Freud: The latest Office for National Statistics estimate of the number of underemployed people is 2.8 million (2009). Government plans for securing economic growth, through: tackling the budget deficit; restoring confidence in the economy; and, injecting new life into the private sector and allowing enterprise to drive the economy, will be central to reducing this number.

EU: Financial Assistance to Member States

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will veto any proposals to give the European Union increased powers over the fiscal, financial and economic affairs of member states; and whether they will not submit United Kingdom budgets to the European Union before they have been debated and agreed by the House of Commons.

Lord Sassoon: The Government have made a clear commitment that any proposals that would transfer power from the UK to the EU would be subject to a referendum in the UK. At the first meeting of the new EU Economic Task Force on 21 May, the Chancellor stated that the Government will not support any measures that would undermine the role of national parliaments in setting budgets. As is the established policy, we will not submit the UK Budget to the EU before it has been debated and agreed in this House.

Government Departments: Redeployment

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public sector employees and civil servants are in each department's, agency's and relevant non-departmental public body's redeployment pool.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Cabinet Office does not hold centrally the numbers of surplus staff held within individual departmental, agency or NDPB redeployment pools.

Health: Pandemics

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest World Health Organisation definition of a pandemic; and what assessment they have made of that definition.

Earl Howe: The World Health Organisation (WHO) uses defined phases to monitor the evolution of a pandemic. These allow for a step-by-step escalation of the global response from the time a novel virus is detected. The phases are numbered from 1 to 6; phase 6 being the point at which a pandemic is declared.
	The WHO defines phase 6 as being:
	"characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way".
	"Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short".
	The WHO is reviewing the pandemic response to swine flu as part of its review of the International Health Regulations. It will also be reviewing the definition, including severity, as part of this.
	The United Kingdom Government's response to the pandemic is in line with WHO guidance. We are reviewing the UK national framework for responding to an influenza pandemic, which will include the use of WHO phases in the context of the UK response. It is expected to be published later this year.
	The UK response to the pandemic is currently subject to an independent review.

House of Lords: Allowance Scheme

Lord Bradshaw: to ask the Chairman of Committees what budget has been set for administering the House of Lords allowance scheme in 2010-11; and what was the outturn for it in 2009-10.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The budget for the staffing costs of administering the House of Lords Members' Reimbursement Scheme for 2010-11 is £277,000; the provisional outturn for 2009-10 is £255,000. These figures include the costs of those directly employed to administer the scheme, and a proportion of the costs of others, including senior staff, who spend some of their time in tasks related to administering the scheme. Figures are to the nearest £1,000 and do not include overhead costs, such as ICT, printing and stationery, and training as these cannot be easily allocated to the cost of administering the scheme.

Housing

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many domestic dwellings in England and Wales are empty; whether they plan to bring them back into occupation; if so, how; and by when.

Baroness Hanham: Council taxbase data for England show that there were 771,000 empty homes in 2009. Of these, 316,000 were long-term empty (empty for longer than six months) and 454,000 were short-term empty (empty for less than six months). Council tax base data for Wales show that there were 30,000 short-term empty homes in 2009. The number of long-term empty homes in Wales, and therefore the total number of empty homes, is not collected centrally.
	We are exploring a range of measures to bring empty homes back into use.

Immigration

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the allegations made by Ms Louise Perrett concerning the United Kingdom Border Agency's Cardiff office have been fully investigated; and, if so, what were the conclusions.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The UK Border Agency takes all allegations of inappropriate behaviour extremely seriously. In light of the nature of the allegations made by Louise Perrett the UK Border Agency asked its Professional Standards Unit to undertake an investigation. I can confirm that this investigation has now been completed and that the agency is in the process of contacting those affected by the investigation. Once this has been completed the agency will write to interested parties detailing the conclusions and recommendations within the report.

Immigration

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the status of the European Union's proposed common immigration policy; and what is their stance on it.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Any EU legislation giving effect to the common immigration policy for non-EU migrants under Article 79 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union would be subject to opt-in arrangements. The Government will not opt into any measures that are contrary to their policies for immigration control.

Immigration: Detention

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government, once the practice of detaining children for immigration purposes ceases, what alternatives they propose before a failed asylum seeker's family is deported.

Baroness Neville-Jones: My Lords, the arrangements prior to a family's departure are clearly important. We are committed to ending the detention of children for immigration purposes and my honourable friend, the Minister of State for Immigration, is leading a review to find a way forward which protects the welfare of children, while ensuring the removal of those who have no right to be in the UK. He will be setting out the way forward in the coming weeks.

Immigration: Detention

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for ending immigration detention of parents with young children.

Baroness Neville-Jones: My Lords, the Government are committed to ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. My honourable friend, the Minister of State for Immigration, is leading a review to find a way forward which protects the welfare of children, while ensuring the removal of those who have no right to be in the UK. He will be setting out the way forward in the coming weeks.

Immigration: Detention

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the recommendations made in December 2009 by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, concerning the detention of children.

Baroness Neville-Jones: My Lords, the reports made recommendations about the treatment of children in detention. This Government have already stated that they are committed to ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. My honourable friend, the Minister of State for Immigration, is leading a review to find a way forward which protects the welfare of children, while ensuring the removal of those who have no right to be in the UK. He will be setting out the way forward in the coming weeks.

Marie Stopes International

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government which clinics and hospitals in England and Wales which are permitted to provide abortions are (a) owned, and (b) leased, by Marie Stopes International; how many approved beds each hospital contains; and whether they are approved for (i) surgical day care abortions with or without general anaesthetic, and (ii) late abortions.

Earl Howe: There are currently 13 clinics managed by Marie Stopes International (MSI) which are approved by the Secretary of State for Health to perform abortions. Information is not held on whether these clinics are owned or leased by MSI and the conditions of approval no longer cover numbers of approved beds in each clinic. The Secretary of State's approval does not specify whether medical, surgical or late terminations can be performed. Some clinics may however, under their conditions of registration from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), be only permitted to perform medical termination of pregnancy up to nine weeks' gestation. The CQC also assesses whether clinics are able to perform termination of pregnancy at gestations of 20 weeks and over. It is our understanding that three clinics currently undertake procedures at these gestations.

Marie Stopes International

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many abortions were performed in clinics and hospitals in England and Wales (a) owned, and (b) leased, by Marie Stopes International, broken down by (i) grounds for abortion, (ii) length of gestation, (iii) age of the pregnant woman, and (iv) nationality of the pregnant woman, in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Earl Howe: The information requested is shown in the following table. The information is for England only as Marie Stopes International (MSI) has no clinics approved to perform abortions in Wales. The department does not hold information on whether clinics are owned or leased by MSI and data are collected by country of residence not nationality.
	
		
			 Abortions taking place at Marie Stopes clinics in England, by grounds, gestation, age and country of residence 2007-2009 
			 Grounds 2007 2008 2009 
			 Section 1(1)(a) 63,226 61,412 57,613 
			 Section 1(1)(b) 18 17 15 
			 Section 1(1)(d) .. .. 35 
			 Other 18 1 15 1 17 2 
			 Total 63,262 61,444 57,680 
			 Gestation weeks 2007 2008 2009 
			 under 10 50,416 49,711 46,662 
			 10-12 7,550 6,773 6,109 
			 13-23 5,296 4,960 4,909 
			 Total 63,262 61,444 57,680 
			 Age at Termination 2007 2008 2009 
			 under 18 4,520 4,435 3,944 
			 18 & 19 5,927 6,034 5,577 
			 20-24 16,845 16,453 15,572 
			 25-29 14,916 14,394 13,457 
			 30-34 10,230 9,969 9,558 
			 35+ 10,824 10,159 9,572 
			 Total 63,262 61,444 57,680 
			 Country of Residence 2007 2008 2009 
			 England 58,230 56,826 53,658 
			 Wales 572 426 253 
			 Northern Ireland 704 646 537 
			 Scotland 141 103 94 
			 Republic of Ireland 3,331 3,089 2,733 
			 Rest of Europe 173 219 235 
			 Rest of World 111 135 170 
			 Total 63,262 61,444 57,680 
		
	
	Notes.
	.. Suppressed value less than 10 (between 0 and 9) in line with Office for National Statistics guidance on the release of abortion statistics, 2005
	1 "other" includes sections 1(1)(c), 1(1)(d) and 1(4)
	2 "other" includes sections 1(1)(c) and 1(4)
	The grounds for an abortion from 1 April 1991
	Section 1(1)(a) that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any existing children of her family;
	Section 1(1)(b) that the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman;
	Section 1(1)(c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated;
	Section 1(1)(d) that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped;
	Section 1(4) that the termination is immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

Marie Stopes International

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of money generated by Marie Stopes International for abortion services in the past two years for which information is available.

Earl Howe: No assessment has been made. Marie Stopes International (MSI) performs National Health Service-funded abortions under contract with a number of primary care trusts. The department does not collect information on the amount of money generated by MSI.

Marriage Licences

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the names and occupations of fathers are included in a marriage licence application but not those of mothers; and whether they intend to change that.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Marriage Act 1949 requires a record of marriage to be entered in a register book. The details to be entered in the register book are prescribed in regulations. The current regulations provide for the details of the fathers of the bride and groom to be entered, but not for details of the mothers.
	The requirement to include the fathers' details is historic. We would accept that the provision does not meet present-day needs; however, to amend the present situation would require legislative change.
	In addition, any change in the format of marriage registers would necessitate the closure of those currently in use and the issue of new marriage registers, not only to registrars but also to the clergy of the Church of England and Church in Wales, to authorised persons of other religious buildings registered for marriages, registering officers of the Society of Friends and secretaries of synagogues. This is an exercise that would amount to some 55,000 registers being replaced at an estimated cost of £1.5 million, expenditure not justified in current circumstances.

Michael Meegan

Lord Rea: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will investigate the fundraising activities in the United Kingdom of Michael Meegan and his charity ICROSS in light of the allegations of sexual and financial impropriety published in the Irish Mail on Sunday.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.
	Letter from Kenneth Dibble, Executive Director, Legal Services and Compliance, Charity Commission, to Lord Rea, dated 28 May 2010.
	In the absence of the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question on whether Her Majesty's Government will investigate the fundraising activities in the United Kingdom of Michael Meegan and his charity ICROSS in light of the allegations of sexual and financial impropriety published in the Irish Mail on Sunday (HL70).
	I can confirm the Charity Commission is aware of the allegations published in the newspaper.
	There are, however, a number of ICROSS organisations. ICROSS UK (registration number 1105400) is a charity on the Register of Charities for England and Wales and so falls within the jurisdiction of the Charity Commission. Our understanding is that the charity ICROSS UK is no longer operating and was dissolved at Companies House in April 2010. However, to be satisfied that there are no regulatory concerns we are in the process of confirming that this is the case and whether the remaining funds have been applied for charitable purposes.
	Michael Meegan is a trustee of another registered charity in England and Wales, New World International (registration number 1126542). We are currently engaging with the charity to ascertain if there are any regulatory concerns.
	Whilst the regulatory compliance case is ongoing, the Commission is unable to share any further information. However, at the conclusion of the investigation, I will inform you of our findings.
	I hope this is helpful.

National Insurance

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on unemployment of the proposed one per cent increase in national insurance contributions.

Lord Sassoon: The Government will set out their latest assessment of economic prospects in the Budget, taking account of all relevant factors.

NHS: Equipment

Lord Walton of Detchant: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all eligible and appropriate NHS patients have access to technologies approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and in particular (a) insulin pumps, (b) uterine fibroid embolisation, and (c) implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

Earl Howe: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidance on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion for the treatment of diabetes mellitus (insulin pumps) and implantable cardioverter defibrillators for arrhythmias is covered by a direction that requires primary care trusts (PCTs) to provide funding for the treatments concerned, in line with NICE's recommendations.
	NICE has published interventional procedure guidance on uterine fibroid embolisation. This type of guidance provides advice on the safety and efficacy of the procedure and is not subject to the funding direction. PCTs are responsible for local funding decisions on specific treatments in the absence of NICE technology appraisal guidance.

NHS: Finance

Lord Walton of Detchant: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the prompt payment code letter issued by the NHS chief executive on 18 May 2009 applies to the NHS Business Services Authority and to its agent NHS Supply Chain; and, if not, what alternative arrangements are in place.

Earl Howe: The letter referred to was not specifically addressed to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) or NHS Supply Chain (NHS SC).
	However, NHS BSA complies with supplier terms and conditions, including the benefit of prompt payment discounts where available. Since 2006, NHS BSA has reported on the percentage of invoices paid within 30 days, both in terms of volume and value, and has achieved more than 95 per cent compliance each year.
	NHS SC, as an agency managed under contract with Exel Europe Ltd, is governed by the terms of a master services agreement (MSA) negotiated by the Department of Health. There is no requirement under the MSA to comply with a 30-day payment turnaround. NHS SC will however honour its contracted agreements with suppliers on varied terms that largely range from 30 to 45 days, but earlier where prompt payment discounts are negotiated.

Referendums

Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what use of referendums they propose for the British political system.

Lord McNally: The coalition's programme for government includes proposals for future referendums and the introduction of a requirement for future referendums to be held in certain specified circumstances.
	We will bring forward legislation providing for a referendum on the alternative vote system for future elections to the House of Commons.
	Local people will be given the power to hold local referendums on any local issues to instigate change for the better in their local areas.
	To further our aim of increasing democratic and parliamentary control, scrutiny and accountability over EU decision-making, any proposed future treaty that transfers competences or areas of power will be subject to a referendum. In addition, the use of any major ratchet clause which amounted to the transfer of an area of power to the EU will also be subject to a referendum. However, we have agreed that there should be no further transfer of sovereignty or powers from the UK to the European Union over the course of this Parliament.
	The Government will set out further details of how they intend to take forward these commitments in due course.
	There are also plans for a referendum in Wales on the powers of the National Assembly of Wales.

Somalia

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they require Somaliland to fulfil to achieve recognition by them as an independent state.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The criteria applied by the UK in determining whether to recognise a state remain as described in the Written Answer dated 16 November 1989 (Official Report, col. 494) by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	That Written Answer states that: the normal criteria that we apply for recognition as a state are that it should have, and seem likely to continue to have, a clearly defined territory with a population, a Government who are able of themselves to exercise effective control of that territory, and independence in their external relations. Other factors, including some UN resolutions, may also be relevant.

Somalia

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the policy of the European Union on the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The EU does not currently recognise Somaliland as an independent state. This position is consistent with that of other international organisations and all individual countries.

Somalia

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the African Union about the Union's policy on the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state; and what was the outcome of those discussions.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have not had any discussions with the African Union regarding the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.

Somalia

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are sending observers to witness the presidential election in Somaliland in June.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are not sending observers to witness the presidential elections in Somaliland. However, we are engaged with a UK non-governmental organisation that is leading on the co-ordination of international observers. We will continue to work closely with them both before and after the elections in June. The Government will continue to support actively the staging of democratic elections.

Somalia

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will recognise Somaliland as an independent sovereign state if the presidential election in June is free and fair.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Recognition of Somaliland as an independent state is not connected to the holding of free and fair presidential elections. However, the Government will continue to support actively the staging of democratic elections.
	Free and fair elections in June can only strengthen the reputation of Somaliland in the international community.
	The criteria applied by the UK for recognition of a state remain as described in the Written Answer dated 16 November 1989 (Official Report, col. 494) by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Trident

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of maintaining the Trident submarine fleet, including missiles.

Lord Astor of Hever: Annual expenditure for capital and running costs of the nuclear deterrent, which includes the Trident D5 missiles, is around 5 to 6 per cent of the defence budget.

Visas

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have revoked the entry visas of Shoaib Khan, Abdul Wahab Khan and Tariq Ur Rehman; and, if not, whether they will not provide new or extended visas to them to study in the United Kingdom or permit them to re-enter the United Kingdom if they leave.

Baroness Neville-Jones: I can confirm that Shoaib Khan, Abdul Wahab Khan and Tariq Ur Rehman had their leave to remain in the UK cancelled after departing from the UK.

West Lothian Question

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take to address the West Lothian question.

Lord McNally: The Government have committed to establishing a commission to consider the West Lothian question.